Immunocytokines

Abstract: A number of cytokines have shown beneficial effects in preclinical animal models of cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. However, cytokine treatment is often associated with severe side effects, which prevent the administration of clinically relevant doses in humans. Immunocytokines are a novel class of biopharmaceuticals, consisting of a cytokine moiety fused to monoclonal antibodies or to an antibody fragment, which selectively accumulate at the disease site and thereby enhance the therapeutic effects of cytokines. This review surveys the recent preclinical and clinical advances in the field, with a special focus on the impact of antibody formats, target antigen and cytokine moieties on the therapeutic performance in vivo. We also discuss emerging data about the possibility to combine immunocytokines with other pharmacological agents.